Category: blog

It's realness, lawless, flawless!

Book Review

Written by Clay Martin. This book is unreal! The tactics used to create a seamless storyline based on the wrong person picked for a fantasy cannibalistic hunt. It’s Book of Eli meets Rambo. Outstanding! The principles in the scripture are creative warrior ethos’ that can easily be embedded in the psyche of anyone who reads it. This book fires off themes of tracking and situational awareness, to reflections of a methodical warrior's thought process. It literally will bring you to the edge of your seat the first couple chapters in. Most books take people a couple weeks to read. This one will make you read all of it in a sub second Moa! And just like a direct action sniping; get dialed in, send it, and then send it again. Except it’s time to read it and then read it again. The style of writing is in depth. Taking you from laughter, to real ness, flawless, and honest takes on life. The movement is the struggle but the hustle is divine. The fact that the protagonist sees the world in such a badass view is the overall theme of holy shit, Vigilante.

The protagonist is a tactical visionary. The killer man the United States Army has forgotten, but not the cruel unforgiving War God. He signed up to be a Soldier and serve the War God. The very "human contract" writer Clay Martin signed up for. I’m sure he never thought he’d write a novel come post career. But honestly who better to tell a story than the warrior himself. Respectful of his surroundings and nature itself. The sick and sinister part is that much like our beloved country deals with veterans in an asinine way, this book portrays what it’s citizens would do on the shitbag level. We had the chance to track down Clay Martin at Shot Show 2018 but with all the elusiveness of the Green Beret way he employed some SERE like tactics and slipped away back to his FOB (home), somewhere in the states. Luckily our big homie TVL is his sniper buddy and we’ll have a chance to sit and chat with him hopefully soon. Certain that the content we’ve learned in this book we can employ in real-time here in big bad Los Angeles. False prophets are everywhere and vigilant folks like us are out here willing to deal with them. As the book keeps reading on shit man, it’s epic. We feel like this novel should be a Hollywood movie with lead role played by some of us. A soundtrack musical score by jus allah, madchild, virtuoso, and Jedi mind tricks. You will find yourself with a highlighter marking up pages because they’re filled with knowledge and quotes full of badassery. Some serious life lessons, some of the best warrior ethos’, and creeds to ever be put on paper. Another huge asset of this book is learning what equipment to carry. Granted we have Clay Martin’s sniper buddy to learn off of. Yet everyone is different and carries certain loadouts. This guy rolls with a SAKO, we were grandfathered into the TIKKA loadout.

The flow of this book from chapter to chapter is amazing. Like riding the perfect rollercoaster of emotion. A perfect warrior like the Green Beret Medic (18D) A person who hunts and heals at the highest level. When reading the book; the fact that it could go from elite warrior in perfect confidence, to a group of men without leadership or with weakened visions blinded by fallacy sets an equilibrium and balance to the read. Personally this read had us so amped up and blood thirsty we had to play smooth jazz and r&b records in the background just to keep even! The edge of your seat thriller. Hands down one of the best books out! Go get it! Read it! We even made our own 18Zulu Bookmark.

Reading Ops

You can get it on Amazon here!

The Rundown

The Warcloud Collective started a collaboration/sponsorship with Fusion Tactical USA. After multiple creative meetings we found a common ground that's unseen in the tactical industry. Fusion is a legit splinter cell shop with worldwide reach. We visit their HQ in Chino Hills, CA quite frequently, simply because they treat us like family there. "It's the experience". Essentially Fusion is a climbing company breaking into the realm of tactical gear and extrication systems.

Let's talk about the belt

It's a 3-part system composed of an interior every day trouser belt, a modular waist pad, and a variable outer belt that has 16 to 32 slots of heavy duty molle construction. To top it all off Fusion has their own buckle known as the Raptor, a quick release made out of aluminum. Color options come in: Black, OD Green, Coyote Tan, and Multicam. At first glance it looks like any other battle belt. But what other's don't have is the adjustable molle space 'nor the climbing harness capabilities. The Trident* outer belt allows the user deploy flap downs for additional molle slots as needed. The construction of the outer belt is velcro based. All of the stitching is rated. Fusion is a climbing company since it's inception so they definitely know their ratings on stitching and construction. Who better to make a battle belt that transitions to any situation as if it was optimus prime! It's quite genius if you ask us.

Assault Climber Loadout

Coming soon is the entire rapid bailout kit & pouch ready for molle attachment into your plate carrier or belt. It might be mission specific but it's perfect for your go-bag or bugout vehicle knowing you're going into a mountainous or urban high rise situation. Team sit-downs created a seamless bailout system for anyone who is in a "jam" or escape/evade situation. This battle belt breaks out into a level two harness ready for rappelling. All you would need of course is your hardware and roping. With the user, safety is paramount.

By CW2 Todd VanLangen US Army Green Beret

“HOLD CENTER”

For the last 20 years, I’ve had the honor and privilege of operating as an Army Special Forces Sniper and Hostage Rescue “Assaulter”. As I am preparing for retirement I can’t help but feel a strong obligation or calling to share this knowledge with others. When Mr. Collins contacted me to write a shooting blog, I knew my answer was yes. The only questions I am faced with now are; where do I begin and what do folks really want to know?

I think it is important to first define “precision shooting”: Precision shooting is the result of Art and Science (and a little luck) culminating into a single projectile that impacts the shooter’s desired target. Typically, we correlate Precision shooting with high powered rifles. In actuality, hitting any target with any type of weapons system requires the shooter to develop a “firing solution”. A firing solution is developed based on all constants and environmental variables presented to the shooter regardless if he or she is firing a pistol, rifle, sling shot, artillery cannon, etc. All of these require some level of thought to ballistically and fundamentally execute the shot properly. Snipers are the Soldiers trained in weaponized math…

A Quick Story

January 2014, my Special Forces Operational Detachment was alerted that one of our sister teams had gotten caught up in a firefight with the Taliban near the Tegab Afghanistan District Center. We immediately mounted up on our gun trucks and covered the 40 miles to the center in record time. Once we arrived the Company Commander grabbed the Team Leaders and went inside for a planning conference. As the Detachment XO (Warrant Officer) and only Sniper on the ground I made my way to a guard tower and began engaging targets of opportunity while reporting the situation outside the center to the Team Sergeants below me. Our interpreter informed me that he heard the Taliban “Commander” talking about leaving to get “reinforcements” on the “walkie-talkie”. Immediately afterward I noticed a white Toyota Corolla departing a house I estimated about 1000 meters away. I began to track the vehicle through my scope, and decided I was going to attempt disabling the vehicle since I couldn’t determine the driver’s identity. Using my laser range finder I was able to “lase” the car at 1400m away and moving from my “8 o’clock” to the “2 O’clock away from me. This meant that every second passed was distance gained on me, thus reducing the chance of a hit. Using already formulated and tested data I held the prescribed “DOPE” on the front right fender of the car. Luckily with a “no value” wind (wind value covered later) as it was blowing from behind me towards the target leaving the only factors to concern me with to be “leading” the target and the elevation of the gun. I had to take an educated “guess” on the lead as I had never attempted such a shot in practice before. Once the lead and elevation was established I began to closely monitor my breaths and concentrated on my finger which was gradually taking slack out of the trigger, then Crack! The XM 2010 .300 Winchester Magnum spit out a 220 Grain Sierra Boat tail Hollow point round. As I recovered from the shot, I was able to see a puff of dust splash off the car. I had hit it! The driver immediately locked up the brakes and bailed out. I quickly found the driver in my scope about 20 meters behind the now wrecked and smoking vehicle, and sure as hell he had a gun. This was a bad choice for him as I would have obviously let him go had he just walked away but he decided it was a good idea to stand there with his rifle. I think he was scared, stunned and baffled more than anything as he had to know where the Americans were and that one of them had the ability to hit his car. None the less, I reapplied the DOPE I had used for hitting the car and once I was confident in the shot, I took it. It’s strange how in the few seconds it takes for a bullet to hit a target that you can have such a wide range of emotions, but it happens. Excitement, anger, happiness and the worry that the target would move, causing me to miss all happened in those few seconds. All the sudden his “man-jammies” moved as if someone tugged on them. He looked down, grabbed his chest and then fell to his knees. I had hit him just above the sternum, the shot was perfect! I have been a Sniper for a long time and 99% of the time shots are taken at a much closer range. This time was different and it is something I will remember forever (that is good and bad). The moral of the story is that when shooting for precision, the shooter must be able to calculate ballistics, remember holds, execute all fundamentals and ensure follow through in order to ensure first round strikes.

The Selection

1. What’s The Intended Use?

Will you be shooting wild game at 2000 yards in mountainous terrain? Or maybe you will be plinking beer cans at 50 yards down by the river.

2. What Are My Actual Skills?

This is where folks waste tons of money. When some folks first begin shooting they tend to get overwhelmed by the seemingly endless amount of guns and accessories available. It doesn’t help that all advertisements claim to improve your shooting or do something else that is beneficial to the consumer. Like Golf and all other sports, there are marketers out there that just want your money. I am going to try to ease your pain with a very simple, no-BS plan of attack for starting and grow with you as you progress as a shooter. Now, with that behind us let’s focus on the very basics. Selecting a firearm and the appropriate accessories to get you out there slinging lead!

3. Financial Support Element

It is crucial to do some serious introspective thinking to assess where you are as a shooter. There is absolutely no reason for an entry level shooter to spend 20k on a .408 Cheytac Rifle (Marky Mark’s gun in the movie Shooter) as you will never fully maximize its potential (@$28 a round you will probably be broke and divorced). Remington 700 series rifles on the other hand are awesome, accurate and AFFORDABLE. Not to mention as you grow as a shooter there is a million different upgrades you can do in order to customize and further accurize the rifle. That is always my recommendation for entry level shooters. It is noteworthy that the U.S. Military has been using Remington 700s (M24 Army) since Jesus was a private, so it is a safe bet they are decent rifles.

4. Optics?

Here is another place where folks spend way too much money on glass they don’t know how to use or maximize. When searching for optics, the same criterion should be used as the rifle. Scopes can run from $50 - $6000 and up. Durability, clarity, functionality and type of reticle are some of the characteristics you need to look into when scope hunting. Currently, Vortex Optics is producing great, affordable glass with any reticle you can imagine in it. I will cover more on Scopes in a follow on article as this is a rabbits hole that I can spend hours preaching about. Bottom line is; ASK QUESTIONS and try other folks’ stuff prior to obligating a huge chunk of money to something like a scope.

5. Caliber

Here is yet another hugely debatable and often “under thought” aspect of precision shooting, and once again dependent on your intended use and budget. If you are hunting small game at relatively close distances then a fast, flat shooting round will be what you’re looking for; i.e. a .17HMR or a .22LR. If big game at a long distance is the goal, you will need something that will carry the distance, buck the winds and still be deadly; i.e. .300 Winchester Magnum, .338 Lapua (I will cover ballistics in a follow on article as well).

The Focus

There is a litany of firearms, optics, ammunition and gear out there and the more “capability” you want the more money it costs, just like Hotrods, motorcycles etc. As a novice shooter, you need to research and ask questions before buying whatever looks “cool” or “extra shiny”. There are a lot of resources for entry level shooters as well as expert level shooters. As with all other sports, do not just go buy a weapon because Joe Schmoe the “pro” shooter uses it. Nine out of ten times, the gun he is shooting is all “hot-rodded”, not to mention he really knows how to shoot, so it will be a huge let down when you shoot your new $4000 pistol and still cannot hit a thing. Reading Shooters’ magazines and internet articles are great to get a feel for what is out there, and what everyone uses (there are lots of constants like the Remington 700). I will dive way deeper into the different aspects of Precision Shooting in subsequent articles and by the end of it we should arrive at a point where you feel confident executing those difficult shots!

I want to thank you all for spending your time reading this! Get out and shoot!!!!

From War to Plow: A Ranger’s Transition

A story of James Webb’s transition from Elite Warfighter to All-American Cowboy. A student said to his master: “You teach me fighting, but you talk about peace.how do you reconcile the two?” The Master replied: “It is better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war.”

The mountains and land of our founding father’s defined James Webb’s life from the very beginning. Born in Madison, VA, what he calls his own piece of “heaven on earth,” he dreamed of becoming an Army soldier as a kid, following the Webb family legacy. He grew up swimming in the river, raising cattle on the family farm, becoming a handyman with his father, playing football, running track, wrestled and loved exploring the magic of the Blue Ridge Mountains. In 2005, James Webb enlisted into the United States Army and in 2006, he graduated from the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP.)

RIP was an intense three-week course to test, train, and push prospective Rangers to their physical and mental limits. The goal was to determine suitability in the Ranger Regiment. Events included the PT test, the Combat Water Survival Test, 5-mile run, 6-mile ruck march, 12-mile ruck march, land navigation, medical training, fast roping, parachuting, and much more, as well as the mandatory smoke sessions in between. This program separated the boys from the men, and is now called Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP), adding an additional five weeks to the training session.

In his career, Webb led a small cannon team, with 60mm mortar, carrying the mortar by himself, assisted with sniper security, and worked with the multi-purpose canines (MPCs) with the 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, B-CO and D-CO.

“I was happy to be a Ranger. I belonged there, ridding evil off the Earth. I had a group of guys willing to fight and die with me. I had never and probably will never feel such a good feeling as when you all make it back and head to chow and start bullshitting,” Webb said. To read the story of how he earned his combat scroll, click here.

In January of 2009, Webb was on a motorcycle trip with fellow Ranger Sniper and best friend, Paul Martinez. Along the outskirts of Columbus, GA, out of nowhere, Webb was struck by a drunk driver going 50mph. In the passing of a few seconds, life would change drastically for Webb, and without Martinez and his specialized training, he would not have made it.

Webb and Martinez a few weeks before the accident

After being struck, Webb remembers many cars passing him, driving inches from his head. While the people in those cars sped past continuing with their busy schedules, Webb lay on the cold asphalt with his right leg smashed into several pieces. His pelvis had been pulled apart like a wish bone, he had 3 compound fractures, his tibia and fibula were sticking out of his skin in two different spots with his heel facing upside down along with hematoma’s of the liver and the right kidney. He vividly remembers that his femur was sticking out of his jeans which was possibly the most traumatic thing that Webb remembers. There were multiple fractures in his right hand, and Webb was bleeding profusely, so much so that he remembers a four-foot radius of blood circling around him. Ranger Paul Martinez knew exactly what to do. He saved Webb’s life by performing Ranger First Responder (RFR) treatment immediately. With Martinez’s heroic efforts and continued words of reassurance, Webb made it to the emergency room alive.

At first, the doctors advised that his leg be amputated above his right knee. But Webb pleaded and ultimately insisted that they put his leg back together. Although the doctors continued to be skeptical, over the next two years, Webb underwent nine surgeries to rebuild his body. With each surgery came another recovery, and the need to rebuild his muscles from that down time through countless therapy sessions.

Webb’s noble and honorable career in the 75th Ranger Regiment had to come to a close the day he was hit by the drunk driver. While he laid in his hospital bed, he reflected on his time, when he had fought valiantly against the evil in this world. He thought of the many lives he had saved and been changed by during his time as a Team Leader serving alongside the nation’s elite.

Throughout the seemingly never-ending surgeries and countless doctor’s visits, Webb knew that he needed to keep his mind busy realizing that he was no longer overseas with his brothers including Ranger Sniper, Martinez.

“Finding something else that I love to do every day and something that makes me still feel like a man was really important when I started my post-military life,” Webb said.

Since that time in the hospital, Webb dedicated his life to farming at the base of his beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. The Ranger Regiment isn’t for the faint of heart and neither is farming. He agreed on a plan with his family to take over the farm with the settlement from the accident and military retirement. Webb replaced the fencing, built two sheds for the equipment, a whole new 40×60’ shop with concrete floors with a lift, a 40×60’ pole barn for hay storage, updated the house, as well as, clearing the land to make it profitable.

He also purchased four hunter jumper horses and works with the notable and professional horse trainer, Chad Keenum, president of CK Sport Horse Sales, LLC. Webb and Keenum have already won several titles including taking 2nd in the 100,000 HITS Derby with High Five and Tara Metzner.

“I tried stock markets out and lost a pile of money because of what people think, at least with the horses I feel like it’s more in God’s hands,” mentioned Webb. ‘Every one {horse} of them is a genetic miracle and the only one like it, so each one is special. You can’t make them in a factory like an iPhone or a car, it has to be born. That to me has more soul in it than standard investment practices, plus it’s competitive. Ever since my trainer and I partnered up, he’s been in the top ten and I want to be part of his success when he becomes the best in the world. Horses and cattle, livestock instead of dead stock, feels more American than working at a random company making plastic wrappers for pills or something.”

To this very day, Webb learns from the best farmers in Madison County, father and son operations, Axsel and David Falk and EJ and Brent Aylor. Webb spent the first year sitting shotgun in their John Deere tractors, learning the trade and creating a reputable name for himself in the community, which can prove to be difficult in a small town, especially as a Veteran.

Webb is truly humbled to farm alongside such hardworking and brilliant men.

Farmers: James Webb (left) and David Falk (right)

“Finding civilians who work just as hard to provide for their future was something I didn’t think really existed this day and age. I was wrong and have found brotherhood outside of the regiment,” said Webb.

In 2014, SSG Paul Martinez retired from the 75th Ranger Regiment and rather than moving home to Colorado, he decided to retire and start farming with his Ranger brother in the calmness of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

“If you are in a horse stall with a 2000-pound animal you have to stay calm. You have to turn off the hyper-vigilance that kept you alive in war and be in the moment,” said Martinez.

From there, these Rangers grew their entire operation with the assistance of their civilian mentors and now adopted family. Like in the military, for Webb and Martinez, family is not always blood. They now raise beef cattle and bale hay throughout the county.

The average American farmer is 58 years old, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture. Farmers over 55 control more than half of the country’s farmland, and one in two is likely to retire in the next decade. Since 1987, there has been a decline in the number of new farmers joining the ranks, with only 17 percent at the beginning of their farming careers — with less than a decade of experience.

“When you look at the population growth, we’re naturally going to need more and more producers to keep pace with the growing demand,” says Karis Gutter, the USDA’s first military veterans’ agriculture liaison. “The veterans’ cadre looks very promising for us.”

This was exciting for Webb and Martinez. Civilian life had turned around for them both, respectively. However, life has its hurdles as you transition out of the military and difficulties started purging into Webb’s quiet world.

At this point for Webb, it seemed to be one thing after another. He was losing buddies overseas, losing a few to suicide, and his relationship with his family was deteriorating.

After Webb did all the improvements to the family farm, his parents decided to go back on their agreement, retire from their jobs, run the farm themselves and kicked Martinez and Webb off their property. They have yet to pay their son back for everything he’s invested into that farm. Webb recalls that they even threatened to call the VA on them, accusing them that they “had to be crazy” because they were Rangers. Unfortunately, this happens all too often within the military community and the “families” that they come home to.

The duo, two medically retired Rangers, had to move in the middle of Virginia’s harsh winter. This included all their animals, the farming equipment and the house. They lost so much. Although it seemed nearly impossible to find somewhere to lease with all their animals, they thankfully found a house to rent through the end of March in 2017. Finally, they thought they could relax.

While dealing with all the stress of his family situation, Webb began a relationship with a local girl. He felt some sense of normalcy and a place of refuge within this young relationship. Then, in the spring of 2015, Webb received shocking news that he was going to be a father.

“As a Ranger, becoming a father is profound because you are not only molding a young man, but your own son. All the pain and hardship can now be considered worth it because I have something to teach my son; life experience. For example, every time it rains, I must cut a tree off the fence, or I have to check for calves when I’m already tired as hell from tossing square bales, it’s me looking out for my little ranger buddy and to have something I can leave him. He has helped me remember the laughter and happiness of youth, something that gets taken away by the raw reality of a traumatic injury or service in an Army at war… in the most bloodied unit in the military. I wanted to leave him a choice to either live off the land or go into a different career. In a few more years, there won’t be an option for younger generations to buy their way into farming, so it’s important for me to make it, in order for my son to be able to even have the option of a life like mine,” said Webb.

Although separated, Webb and his ex-girlfriend still work together raising their son. It has not been easy for Webb, and he will say that it’s probably the hardest thing that he’s had to face because he doesn’t want to miss anything his son does, but he is keeping his eye on his son’s future and knows every minute with him is a gift.

Webb has learned over the years and particularly through this relationship that many women enjoy the idea of being with a man in uniform, but not many want to deal with the reality of one. More on this topic later.

Now, fast-forward to the middle of 2016 and the landlords of the rental house decided to sell their place in the middle of summer. So, there they were, two Ranger buddies. They, and their horses, their dogs, their cats were soon to be homeless. At this point, Webb decided to utilize the acreage he had purchased from his parents and have created their own little Ranger paradise, or FOB Jamestown, as they now call it. Every morning, Webb wakes up to the beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and his horses ready to eat breakfast.

As I said previously, transition into the civilian world after a rewarding career in the military is difficult. Webb faced this, though it wasn’t of his choosing, and he left the military injured and not ready to face a new civilian lifestyle while the war was still going on. From their experiences, Webb and Martinez believe that every Veteran should take six months to a full year off after getting out of the military to decompress and reengage the civilian world. The Ranger duo has had numerous buddies come to their ranch to wind down, do some work, get in the saddle, and get their life in check.

Their farm, is a steadily growing operation in the mountains of Virginia. These men are not only connecting the land of our founding fathers and the Nation’s finest warriors, but they are actively bridging the civilian-gap to provide the United States and the world more food. Can it get more American than that?

“I feel independent and not reliant on the human machine. I had a lot of anxiety after being hurt about being able to take care of myself. I used to jump out of planes and walk 30 miles, now I can’t walk a mile. So, having a horse to carry me through the mountains and being able to make money on my own and doing it based on weather (or circumstances out of everyone’s control) is a lot easier to handle to me. I have a calf and that’s a new animal that wasn’t there before, I created something. I go out to a patch of dirt, grow some grass, and bale it up, bring it over to another patch of dirt with grass and give it to my cows and every year I have more and more,” said Webb. “I make food now, so I’m still one of the pillars of society and feel like I’m helping America, just in a different way. I’m up to 82 head now and steadily growing.”

Webb will be expanding his operation so that when his brothers want or need to come work a summer in between contracting or going to school, they can. He will eventually build another big barn to store his John Deere equipment and all the hay. He will have six hack horses and a log cabin built by his own hands with a fire pit just so his buddies can come and sit and tell their stories in all their glory. It will be his very own Ranger Ranch.

Webb’s tenacity to make positive change in his communities, both in Madison and in the brotherhood, and his commitment to the preservation of that sacred American land are inspiring and admirable. He is a true example of living the Ranger Creed and I am proud to be the first to share his story.

The Self Sufficient Video Journalists

"Fuck, why didn't I think of this before!?" We all say that, at some point in our life and time. This blog post will make videography simple and highly effective for you gun addicts and creatives! First here's how we got hip to the sign language of video journalism. 10H Outfitters has been doing videography as a team for roughly 10 years. We bought a couple Canon Rebel T3i's and hacked Adobe Premiere editing platform for our PC's. Then in a "fail, forward, fast!" fashion we set out to learn from veterans and craftsmen. This was an effort to gain knowledge and quickly align our team with the elites in whatever subculture interested us at the time. These Legendary Craftsmen had countless years of experience, life, love, stress, and setbacks in their trade of choice. Once our team deployed on a video mission we set out to gain intel, video, and observe our subject in their natural creative habitat. We would film our subject in a tutorial manner and compose the project based on an interview we set forth. The interviews were based upon 25 solid questions. These questions were questions we wanted to know for ourselves. We could take that footage back and learn all over again after seeing the process live. This crash course workshop we would film; was enough fuel to the fight if we wanted to create our own product. Sounds like a dickhead move, but we were good friends with most of our subjects. Imagine this! A Lifetime of knowledge for a 10 minute vid- that took 10 hours to shoot, edit, and release is a winning formula!

Hardware + Software You Need

Let’s Begin

Invest in a good smart phone. Note that not all smart phones are created equally. iPhone, Android, and galaxy s6 and up, shoot in 4K HD quality. Worst case scenario 1080p. There's plenty of great tools in the form of apps. Apps broken down and simply put are user-friendly. There's no app that's out there that is highly intricate, hard, or over-detailed enough that you can't operate it!

When filming Rotate your camera landscape / widescreen. Make sure to change your settings to 4k or 1080p in your general settings on your phone.

You'll need an Octopus Tripod which is relatively cheap and effective. Grab some additional lenses for various situations which are optional; but it allows you to film Fisheye/Wide Angle/Macro/Telephoto Lens. Then look into getting a Stabilizer if you want to take it to the next level!

iMovie & Postproduction

Post-Production while using iMovie:

Make sure you have some good music. Pick your favorite tracks. Movie Soundtracks are the best for us. Hans Zimmer is a killer's killer!. Music and/or Narration is essential to a great product. It's kind of tricky to dance around copyright infringement when uploading to youtube, instagram, or vimeo. But! we found out your music has to be less than 30 seconds in duration that way they can't shazam you and take your video down. You can chop it up and use different songs just make sure your transitions are smooth like a dj.

Drag and Drop footage as you see fit. Don't get overwhelmed with anything. Just have a vision and use your fat fingertips to edit and scale down footage/pix/music.

Transitions are what creates flow. Get creative with it. We just use hard transition or dissolves most of the time.

Export to your camera roll when done. The cool thing about iMovie is you can always go back and edit, just don't delete your original files. It's like an oil painting that never dries, you can add as much as you'd like and your canvas will give you more depth.

It might run you a couple bucks for it. No more than $5.99 that's for sure. It's highly useful in the long run if you know your recording settings and want to import it into your computer platform to use with Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere.

Movie Looks: (optional)

You can complete an overlay with this app. It can make everything the same tone, colorway, creative filter.

Tactics to Succeed

Key Points to filming.

Use a Tripod or if handheld *Locked Wrist*

Film in 1 to 2 minute increments for logging and memory reasons.

Make sure your settings are at 4K and/or 1080p HD and learn about it.

Film in Slo-Mo, Timelapse, Regular Basic Video, whatever works for your vision.

Study your favorite Directors and use their tactics.

Video Intro is Essential to Any Campaign

Practice what you preach!

Yes this video was completed with a Smartphone, iMovie, and Tripod only! Along with a video Intro that we make for other companies at the beginning and end. This was my first attempt at making a video completely on an iPhone. I've been behind the camera for many years. So one day I decided to take film of a workout session doing performance based training. Taking 100 shots at the same exact corner on a hockey net.

GET AFTER IT!!

Let's see how cool your projects come out. Just put it out there in a "fail forward fast" fashion. If you haven't released anything it's already too late! That's how late you are. This blog post is a bit more for the Crisis Application Group. On the phone with the catch phrase human generator Jay Paisley he said "I'm retired man, I want to see how cool the rest of you guys are". As if we weren't cool enough already!? Ha! Furthermore, it's about going out there and doing it is what he meant by that.

Commandos need very little to operate.

But on the flipside!

Look into a Drone for Aerial Footage we reccomend the new DJI MAVIC Pro. Really this is probably the Coolest invention yet. It fits in your pocket and operates from your phone directly.

Go Pro Tactics are essential to getting gunfighter theatrics! You can go with any type of Go Pro. We highly recommend anything 3 and above as far as generations/versions are concerned.

We Make Custom Video Intros. Just click the graphic below!!!

Why get a video intro?

The importance of having an intro for any product, video production, or documentary is vital. It’s your brand! It’s your livelihood! These intros give your viewers an impact type feel. It generates suspense and excitement within 10 seconds just right before your visual work starts!

Pie It Off!

Visualize! Here's a video created in first person utilizing the GOPRO to show you how to pie off a room or area before entering. Taking angles is essential to creating a threat scan. Special Forces Veteran Jay Paisley will show you how.

We all know there are not enough hours in a day to accomplish everything we need to do. Training, let alone time for training always seems to be kicked to the side when there are more important issues to deal with. So I’ve created a series of short, simple, fun, and educational training drills that you can perform during any other scheduled training, roll call, or down time that your officers may have while on duty together. Most of these are designed to be utilized during roll call before the shift and in the briefing room; but can be augmented for any time there are two to five minutes available.

Drill #1 “Bump In The Night”

Turn off the lights, make four officers locate a “downed officer”, put tourniquets (tq) on that officer’s arms and legs while they are surrounded by tables and chairs to get in the way… in low light setting.

Equipment Needed:

– One officer acting as the role player (the patient), it should be kept confidential which officer is designated as the patient until the drill starts.
– One officer acting as the instructor or “time keeper”, this should not always be the highest ranking officer in the room. The brass needs to practice as well.
– Four TRAINING tourniquets, not real-world tourniquets; handed to each of the four officers and stored in their real-world tq carrier/holster. If no carrier/holster on their uniform, the officer must secure it tucked up under their duty belt tightly; no half-ass’ing it.
– Four officers in full duty uniform, ready to hit the streets (rescuers) chosen at random.
– A few tables and chairs, the more the merrier.

Tasks:

– Under low-light or no-light conditions; have the four officers locate the role playing officer (the injured officer), identify the location of “bleeding” (it will be both arms and legs), and deploy/apply a tq to appropriate limbs.

– To start the drill; the “time keeper” kills the lights and the role player immediately quickly lays down on the floor under the chairs and desk they were just at. The time keeper then yells out the role player’s last name within a second or two of the lights going out. This allows the four rescuers to know who the injured officer is.

– As soon as the name is yelled; the rescuers must locate the correct officer that is injured and deploy and apply a tq to that officer’s respected arms and legs… in the dark… under all the furniture… with a time limit unknown to them.

Standards:

– Time to locate patient… No time limit requirements
– Time to identify injury – 60 seconds (The Lone Star Medics’ standard to perform a blood claw/rapid physical assessment of immediate life-threatening injuries is 60 seconds.)
– Time to deploy and apply a tq correctly – 12 seconds (LSM standard to deploy and apply a tq; including self-aid or buddy-aid.)
– Role player is alert and speaking (preferably yelling for help and panicking) for first 7 seconds once lights go out. After that, they are to slump over and go completely limp and cannot speak.

Drill # 2 “Vehicle Bottle Neck”

During the next SWAT training, the next time the team begins their raid from inside the SWAT truck/vehicle; have the first two officers go down immediately as they exit the back of the vehicle. Have those two officers lay down right in the way of the other exiting officers. Observe and take note of their reactions.

Things to look for:

– Did the other officers get caught up in the doorway and create a “fatal funnel” there at the truck?
– Did anyone perform a manual drag and drag the two downed officers out of the way and fall back into their stack?
– Did anyone stop and start rendering aid on the “X”?
– If aid was rendered, did responding officers use their own tq or the downed officer’s tq? Why or why not?

There are several goals to this simple drill:

1. If the first two officers get injured, can the other officers still carry on with the mission and pick up the slack of losing those two officers? Can the team adapt and overcome in order to complete the mission?
2. Make sure the team is trained up on manual drags and carries.
3. Make sure each officer has a quality tq as part of their uniform, and that each officer knows where the tq is located on each other’s uniform.
4. Make sure officers know how to deploy and apply those tq’s and know whose tq to use on who.

Drill # 3 “Stacking Chairs”

Have one officer lay down on the floor, face up or down (more difficult), and in a spread eagle. Place one chair over each arm, leg, torso, and head of that officer. Then have other officers sit down in those chairs (so the chairs don’t move during the drill.)

On the command “GO”; have officer(s) under the chairs deploy and apply their own tq (using a blue training tq) to their own arm or leg. Par time is 12 seconds (LSM standard)

Reset the officer’s tq and have them perform the drill on each arm (one handed only) and on each leg (both hands allowed). Par time for is 12 seconds to deploy and apply a tq to yourself or someone else.

Not only is this drill teaching officers how to deal with the potential for confined space application of a tq, such as in a car wreck scene; it also is humorous to watch each other struggle as they train. Which brings humor into training, which is always a good thing every now and again. “Verbally motivating” each other is highly encouraged as well during the drill.

Added stressors such as pepper spray, low light, water hose, gas masks, or whatever you think is appropriate are also highly encouraged during this drill.

You can do this same drill at home under your own bed.

Drill # 4 “Talk to me, Goose!”

Items needed:

– Two hand held walki-talkies
– One BLUE training tq
– One person with no formal tactical medical training (could be a civilian from the front office); this will be the patient.

Place one officer in a closed, separate room with one training officer and a walkie-talkie.

Place the other walkie-talkie at the front of the briefing room. No one (including the untrained person) is allowed to touch that walkie-talkie. No one is allowed to talk in the briefing room. Have the untrained person (the patient) join the officers in the briefing room. They are not allowed to ask anyone in that room any questions or receive any help or advice… except from the person on the other walkie-talkie.

The objective is to have the officer in the separate room communicate to the untrained person how to apply a tq to one of the officers in the briefing room using only the walkie-talkie to communicate their directions.
Training officers may allow only one-way communication or two-way communication between the separated officer and the untrained person. Either way, chaos will be created. Lol

This is great for negotiators to train on as well as the rookie on the department. We call this type of medicine… “Treatment over barricade”.

Drill # 5 “Blind Blood Claw”

The objective here is to have one blindfolded officer perform a blood claw or some sort of rapid trauma assessment on another officer. Locate that injury, treat it, and continue assessing for more injuries… while blindfolded.

Have each officer pair up with another officer.

First officer is blindfolded and must perform a complete blood claw of the other officer under 60 seconds.
This is all done while the officer is either in a vehicle, on the floor laying down in the briefing room, or wherever is feasible. Start out with plenty of room for both officers, then as they progress, make the space smaller for them to perform the drill.

The blindfolded officer must locate the injury within 60 seconds.

In order to produce a simulated injury, you can either pour water on the injured officer’s uniform (to simulate a wet feel, as if it were blood) or by having the injured officer flinch and yelp once the blindfolded officer physically touches that “injured area” on the body.

The blindfolded officer must use their buddy’s tq first, then their own IF a secondary injury is found/needed.

Drill # 6 “Holy Shirt”

The next time you’re at the shooting range, throw a couple of old t-shirts (3XL size) over a couple of targets you’ve been shooting at all day. Shoot one or two holes in random spots on the shirts. The next training day or at roll call, throw the shirts on a couple of officers. Just make sure that this is done where no one can see what is going on. You may opt to have the officers remove their uniform shirt and place these shirts UNDER their body armor. Up to you how difficult you want to make things.

Have the dressed up officers lay down and be quiet and go completely limp. Have the rescuing officer enter the room and find the bullet holes using the blood claw (or whichever trauma assessment you teach at your agency) within 60 seconds. You can run several officers through at one time or have them pair up.
After the rescuer locates the bullet hole(s); have them treat that injury with a training IFAK.

A training IFAK can be made using the following contents:

– Training tq. Both SOFT T Wide and CAT both come in Trainer Blue.
– Ziplock baggie filled with a roll of Kerlix gauze acquired from the FD. This can be labeled as “hemostatic agent.”
– Olaes Modular Bandage or Emergency Bandage (Israeli bandage); just roll it back up and reuse it over and over. Store it in a ziplock baggie as well to help preserve it.

Drill #7 “Drive Through”

Have an officer (patient) get in their patrol car and buckle up. Close and lock the doors but leave the windows down. Doors are not allowed to be opened. The patient is unconscious and unresponsive, seated in the driver seat with seatbelt on.

Have another patrol car parked right up next to the patient’s patrol car. Right up next to the driver side door; as if they were pulled up next to each other, facing opposite directions and shootin’ the breeze. There should only be a few inches between each car.

On the command “GO”; rescue officer must deploy and apply their own tq to themselves while seated in their car. Once tq is applied correctly; the rescue officer must deploy and apply the other officer’s (unconscious officer in other car) tq to that officer’s right leg. This can simulate a car wreck, a trapped officer, and is good practice for a bad day.

You can also put two officers in the same car in the front seats, both with seatbelts. Driver is the unconscious patient and needs their tq applied to their left leg. Rescue officer in the passenger seat must stay in their seatbelt yet still deploy and apply their own tq first while seated.

Drill # 8 “Easy Money”

Not that we would ever “gamble” in uniform, on duty, or down the hall from the Chief’s office… but we are.
Everyone places a dollar in a jar and the jar is placed up front in the briefing room. Training tq’s are handed out and stored as they are carried in uniform. For those officers that don’t carry a tq on duty; their tq’s are staged in their patrol car in the trunk (trunk closed up, no cheating).

On the command “GO”; officers must deploy and apply a tq to their own RIGHT arm using a one-handed technique only. Those officers with staged tqs in the trunks of their cars must retrieve their training tq from the trunk and return to the briefing room prior to applying it to their RIGHT arm.

The first two officers that applied the tq within 12 seconds and done correctly; split the cash. If gambling is not allowed, then the slowest two officers buy the two winners lunch that day.

The point of all this is to give officers and their leaders a few ideas on some quick, hip-pocket type training.

Obviously these drills do not replace actual training nor do they prepare officers for every scenario they may face on the streets. Several agencies may already perform drills similar to these and that is great! Please continue to do so and share with others what type of drills you have implemented. I’d like to take this opportunity to say “Thank You” to all those men and women in blue that put it on the line every day. Y’all keep your heads up and know that there are a lot of us out there rooting for you.

Drink Water,
Caleb Causey, Lone Star Medics

*STAY TUNED FOR THE TACMED PLAYBOOK BY JAY PAISLEY OF WEAPONIZED MEDICINE AND CRISIS APPLICATION GROUP*

A MARSOC Marine Schools Us on How to Stay Limber for Extended Periods

The young sergeant did his best to hide a look of surprise when he realized the battle-worn gunnery sergeant in front of him wasn’t there to drop off some fresh-faced lance corporals for Marine Corps Scout Sniper School — no, I was there to check in … as a student.

In my mid 30s, I was a generation older than all of my classmates, had a good 10 years on all of my Sniper School instructors, and already had multiple combat deployments as a Recon Marine under my belt. Still, on the first day of class I pulled the rank insignia off of my uniform and made it clear I was there to be treated as any other student. Over the next 11 weeks, as our numbers shrank from 60 to 40 to about 20, my body was taxed, pushed, and challenged in ways that I had never experienced.

Stalking slowly and silently for hours — on all fours, crouched, bent over, then frozen in the prone as we waited for our shot — our necks, backs, and shoulders screamed, ached, and spasmed. If we came thinking we were in shape, we soon learned that we’d have to develop a completely different set of muscles and redefine mental and physical stamina if we were going to succeed.

It’s Easy to be Hard, Hard to be Smart

Back then, I wasn’t educated on how to prepare for, or recover from, the various types of abuse the job required — there was no “pre-stalking warm-up” routine or Stretching for Snipers handbook. The answer to most things was: suck it up and drive on.

My gym routine at the time favored power over precision, bulk over balance. We use the term precision to describe long-range shooting, to differentiate it from other types. Whether you’re a Marine Corps sniper, a hunter taking down elk at 800 yards, or long-range competitor, we need to be more precise in how we prepare our bodies for the unique challenges of long-range shooting.

The Solution: Stamina, Strength, Stretch

Stamina: The term stamina (being able to do something over an extended period of time) is usually associated with cardiovascular fitness. It’s true; cardiovascular fitness is important for all shooters — in my training courses I emphasize the importance of being able to manage breathing and perform the fundamentals of marksmanship with an elevated heart rate.

Most people, however, don’t associate the concept with the type of muscular stamina required to hold a rifle up on target, or to stay in a prone or crouched position with head erect, eyes on glass. In addition to developing cardiovascular fitness, long-range shooters need to tailor their training to develop muscular endurance, particularly in their core (abs, chest, upper and lower back), as well as their shoulders and neck.

During my three-day scoped carbine course, students are often surprised to find the most mentally and physically challenging segment of training isn’t the “run and gun” course of fire, where they are running from cover to cover, but the segment we spend lying in the prone. Why? Because most of them haven’t spent much time in that position — it feels awkward, uncomfortable, even painful to lay on their stomach, arms forward on their weapon, while holding up that big noggin — while being still enough to decipher the holds on their reticle and keep eyes on target.

One of the ways shooters can gain muscular endurance is by “dry practicing” shooting positions at home or on the range. Spending a few minutes each day getting into the prone (or other shooting position) will go a long way toward getting your body accustomed to otherwise unfamiliar positions and building the muscle memory and endurance that’ll help you to “settle into” your gun.

Strength: Another way to build muscular endurance is through strength training. It’s true, bigger biceps won’t put more power behind your bullet, so why does strength matter to a long-range shooter? Full-body strength training is beneficial to any shooter as it helps balance out uneven muscle development and protects joints from injury.

In addition to a typical strength-training regimen, however, long-range shooters need to include isometric exercises, where muscles contract in a static position, such as doing planks or yoga. Often, shooters equate being still to being tight. While tightening up muscles, like a child in a game of freeze tag, will keep you still for a short time, it’ll also cause you to expend a huge amount of energy, leaving your muscles shaky, sore, and fatigued.

One of the benefits of isometric exercises, such as yoga, is learning to be still — holding a pose or position — while relaxing the other muscles in your body. Yoga not only improves strength and core stability, but flexibility, breathing, and mental focus — all attributes likely to benefit the long-range shooter.

Stretch: As with any sport, it’s important to stretch both before and after shooting or training exercises. Prior to shooting, stretching helps to reduce tension and loosen joints, helping to maintain a relaxed position, whether standing, sitting, or in the prone. A regular stretching routine also increases the overall flexibility needed to get into various, more awkward, shooting positions.

Just like a baseball player swings a bat on one side, or a place kicker uses a particular foot to kick, shooters use muscles on one side of their body differently than the other. Constant use of muscles on one side tends to pull hips, the back, and other muscles out of alignment and become more prone to injury. After shooting, stretching helps counteract muscle imbalance and keeps injuries from taking you out of the fight.

Rather than constituting a full routine, the following exercises (in addition to “dry practice” rifle holds) are meant to supplement your regular cardio and strength training routine. While I also use other exercises, these pack the most benefit for shooters of all fitness levels. With these as a start, I highly encourage serious long-range shooters to incorporate yoga practice into their regular routine — check out the Foundation Training Fundamentals DVD

Written by: Buck “FollowThrough” Doyle
#Repost from Recoil Mag!~Read more

Founded by Robert Redfeather

You have noticed that everything that an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round....The Sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nest in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours....Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves. "All things in the world are (naki-two). In our mind we are two -- good and evil. With our eyes we see two things....things that are fair and things that are ugly....we have the right hand that strikes and makes for evil, and the left hand full of kindness, near the heart. One foot may lead us to an evil way, the other foot may lead us to a good. So are all things two, all Naki."

Robert Naki-Bésh Redfeather, being ( Mashgalé Ndee ) Mescalero Apache in 1980 sought out his relatives on the Mescalero and other Indian reservations in South Eastern New Mexico and Arizona. Redfeather was trained by his Grandfather in survival, and Nagondzoog (old term) Means War/Fight/Guerrilla Warfare, Nagonłkaadí Means War/Fight/Combat -- the unique Apache brand of guerrilla warfare. Both of these were made famous by the Apache realm of powerful War Chiefs such as Mangas Coloradas, Cochise, Victorio, and Geronimo, who was a Bedonkohe Apache Leader. In addition to his native culture, Robert Redfeather has been training in the martial arts for 48 years and is an 8th degree Black Belt. He has also been honored and inducted into several Hall of Fames across the country. Now with all this knowledge and life experiences, Redfeather is honored to pass it on through "Apache Knife Training Courses". He is also happy to pass along the history and traditions of his family and heritage, the Apache people. Redfeather, who teaches not from theory but from his life experience, is known for his training of our U.S.Military Troops, Police Officers, Native Americans, and anyone who has a desire to learn. A five-part certification course is available to enable you to teach "Apache Knife Training".

The Standard

Available to freaks seeking techniques and pencil neck geeks! This group fosters civilians who are looking to be prepared in any situation. Very cool group of individuals who are active duty special forces, civilians, and veterans alike. This group is full of people who are looking to advance their well being, family, and others around them.

The Crisis Application Group, or C.A.G. is a private group that consists of professionals and law abiding citizens committed to self defense and self reliance. Our mission is to foster a mature network of proactive, training oriented adults and sponsor dialog across our national and international network.

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